How can I control 2 players with one keyboard (RetroArch)?

meleu

@TheStrayMongrel I asked that to suggest you to change the title of this thread.
Maybe "how can I control 2 players with one keyboard (RetroArch)?" fits better.

I'm at work now and can't help you at this very moment, sorry. But with a more descriptive title, maybe someone else can give a look here. It shouldn't be that much complicated.

TheStrayMongrel

@meleu Yeah no worries, I'm at work too so thats fine. Thanks for the help. Will look to change the title now.

TheStrayMongrel

This post is deleted!

meleu

@TheStrayMongrel go to the first post of the thread and edit it.

rbaker

@TheStrayMongrel It's your retroarch config that will determine the correct settings for your libretro emulations. Here is the section from mine that has 2 player working in all emulators. It is set up for a neo-geo control panel.

input_player1_a = "alt"
input_player1_b = "ctrl"
input_player1_y = "space"
input_player1_x = "x"
input_player1_start = "num1"
input_player1_select = "num5"
input_player1_l = null
input_player1_r = null
input_player1_left = "left"
input_player1_right = "right"
input_player1_up = "up"
input_player1_down = "down"

input_player2_a = "s"
input_player2_b = "a"
input_player2_y = "q"
input_player2_x = "k"
input_player2_start = "num2"
input_player2_select = "num6"
input_player2_l = null
input_player2_r = null
input_player2_left = "d"
input_player2_right = "g"
input_player2_up = "r"
input_player2_down = "f"

any changes to fba2x.cfg will do nothing as @meleu said. You must edit retroarch.cfg

meleu

@TheStrayMongrel
@rbaker said in How can I control 2 players with one keyboard (RetroArch)?:

You must edit retroarch.cfg

He meant /opt/retropie/configs/all/retroarch.cfg. ;-)

TheStrayMongrel

Thanks @rbaker. The plot thickens though, everything in my retroarch.cfg looks in order. Here is a screen grab of my key allocations and the retroarch.cfg. As mentioned they keys work fine in mame4all so its not like the arcade button pressers arent registering as keyboard strokes. Any other ideas?

dankcushions

@TheStrayMongrel said in How can I control 2 players with one keyboard (RetroArch)?:

Thanks @rbaker. The plot thickens though, everything in my retroarch.cfg looks in order. Here is a screen grab of my key allocations and the retroarch.cfg. As mentioned they keys work fine in mame4all so its not like the arcade button pressers arent registering as keyboard strokes. Any other ideas?

wrong quote symbols on at least one. all quotes in retroarch.cfg should be "" not the slanty kind. that single one is probably making it ignore the rest of the .cfg. hopefully that's the problem :)

TheStrayMongrel

@dankcushions Thanks for that. Just checked in a shell and the quotes on the "a" are consisant with the rest, must have just been a characteristic of me editing the file in filezilla. Here is a screen grab of it again in the terminal. Bugger, i was really hoping it was that.

rbaker

@TheStrayMongrel You said earlier that you were using an adafruit utility. I am not familiar with it. Does a normal keyboard work in two player?

Do this with a single keyboard connected:

1, Clean install, Plug a keyboard in and boot the lot up.
2, Configure the Keyboard using autodetect.
3, Edit retroarch.cfg with all your player 1 and 2 choices, hotkeys etc.

This will prove that you have two player functionality with a keyboard. I have just tried it and it works. It's how I configured my ipac2. Once you have proved it, you can then start using your adafruit package. In my case, I then used the ipac2 after configuration in this way. The key for me was to establish full keyboard functionality for two players first then simply replace it with an encoder.

If it fails after the keyboard has worked, the adafruit is to blame.

TheStrayMongrel

Okay so @rbaker, tried what you suggested and did a fresh install, configured the keyboard and then added 2 player controls through the retroarch.cfg... but nothing. I have actually always been running @Floob 's attract mode disk image so i guess I have to consider that a variable and the possibility that something broke (in regards to the config I'm trying to get running) when that was being created... very long shot i know with him being a guru and all.
Just downloading the 4.0 image and will see how that goes with the same procedure.

rbaker

@TheStrayMongrel I would say that it the problem. I believe that attract mode was an experimental build. You should use the fully updated version. I reckon if you had revealed that at the start, you would be up and running now. You = Adafruit + Attract Mode Build. Me = Ipac + Version 3.8.1

One final thought, have you checked that your config edits are actually being saved?

TheStrayMongrel

@rbaker Unfortunately not, just tried it on a brand spanking new 4.0 image. Install/allocate keys/retroarch.cfg config/setup wifi/transfer 2 games (using lr-fba-next)/reboot... 1 player works fine but nothing on 2... ahhh. Your suggestion really has broken it down to the most basic of fundamentals in regards to troubleshooting the issue... racking my brain to think of what else it might be.

rbaker

@TheStrayMongrel I am out of ideas now. For me, you plug in a keyboard and it is detected. It allows you to configure player 1 only. You then edit the config to add the "extra" keys you desire for player 2. You save and then you must reboot for the changes to take effect. You then have the most basic form of two player controls. I cannot think what you must be doing that is different to me. Is your syntax correct etc?

dankcushions

@TheStrayMongrel said in How can I control 2 players with one keyboard (RetroArch)?:

@rbaker Unfortunately not, just tried it on a brand spanking new 4.0 image. Install/allocate keys/retroarch.cfg config/setup wifi/transfer 2 games (using lr-fba-next)/reboot... 1 player works fine but nothing on 2... ahhh. Your suggestion really has broken it down to the most basic of fundamentals in regards to troubleshooting the issue... racking my brain to think of what else it might be.

what games? IMO you should test on a console 2 player games (snes etc) as there additional complications to consider in the arcade cores.

also you should post your entire /all/retroarch.cfg and /snes/retroarch.cfg ideally.

rbaker

@TheStrayMongrel Try this video from @Floob :

You could remap using the retroarch gui, if you know your keys are working. Then you can go into retroarch.cfg and look at the changes it made for you and compare them against what you did.

TheStrayMongrel

what games? IMO you should test on a console 2 player games (snes etc) as there additional complications to consider in the arcade cores.
also you should post your entire /all/retroarch.cfg and /snes/retroarch.cfg ideally.

Streetfighter 3 and Streetfighter 2 Alpha @dankcushions. That sounds like something worth trying, so will have a crack at it with a snes game tonight (at work now).

also you should post your entire /all/retroarch.cfg and /snes/retroarch.cfg ideally.

Will do, not sure how to post scroll down command line blocks (like rbaker has here) so will look into that, certainly too large to do screen grabs like i have been previously.

@rbaker said in How can I control 2 players with one keyboard (RetroArch)?:

Is your syntax correct etc?

As far as i know. It matched up with the one you posted earlier on this thread... and i have looked over it closely to see if there are any inconsistencies.

Will also check out the video, thanks.

I guess another thing i can to also is fire up mame4all and see if 2 player keyboard registers on that after configuring using the tab menu... at least then I'll know if the issue is confined to lr-... emulators.

Thanks again all. :)

rbaker

@TheStrayMongrel said in How can I control 2 players with one keyboard (RetroArch)?:

not sure how to post scroll down command line blocks

You use markdown: http://commonmark.org/help/

Code blocks are the last one on the list. You use ``` before and after.

TheStrayMongrel

@rbaker said in How can I control 2 players with one keyboard (RetroArch)?:

@TheStrayMongrel said in How can I control 2 players with one keyboard (RetroArch)?:

not sure how to post scroll down command line blocks

You use markdown: http://commonmark.org/help/

Code blocks are the last one on the list. You use ``` before and after.

Great thanks @rbaker will check it out.

Reading futher into it think it might be time i considered 86ing my current setup and buying the Controlblock. Will have a nice powerswitch that way too.

TheStrayMongrel

It works!!!!!! Dumb****ery on my part, syntax error and i neglected to put "num" prior to the numbers 2 and 6 in the player 2 config. Of course the most important commands of the lot as they add coins and launch games. Fired up the Adafruit utility and that works so the arcade controls are go and my test games SF3, Alpha and even tried DK Country on snes to make sure and its all good. So still plenty of configuring to do, getting buttons in the right spot but thanks so much guys, 2 player works. Brilliant work @rbaker @meleu @dankcushions and everyone else here really... you guys are definitely in my cool book. Damn it eats away at you when a problem gets the better of you... but oh so satisfying when the remedy is found.